Valrico
29 C E L E B R A T I N G
February 2020 Volume 17, Issue 2 Ph: 657-2418 1 8
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2020 Strawberry Festival Offers ‘Perfect Vision’ Of Family Entertainment
tion for many, but if you want to enjoy other creative Plant City strawberry creations, try some Strawberry Fudge, Strawberry Fritters, Strawberry Kettle Korn, Strawberry Cobbler, Strawberry Sandwiches and, if you must watch your weight, the Bowl of Berries offers a sugarfree version. Lots of other strawberry items and other fair foods are also available for you to feast on and test your imagination. The Strawberry Youth Parade will take place on Saturday, February 28 and the 2020 Grand Parade will be on Monday, March 1. Along with the floats and bands and lots of good old fashioned fun, you can meet the Florida Strawberry Festival Queen, Meghan White, along with First Maid Kennedy Sapp and court members Denim Hughes, Lacie Collins and Emma Miller. Meghan is the daughter of Stacy and Barbie White and is an 18-year-old senior at Durant High School. You will also see them at festival events throughout the grounds, including the Wish Farms Soundstage before each of the Headline Entertainment shows. “Once again, we have an outstandContinued on Page 6
N E W S
By Kathy L. Collins
100 Day “We have Dream Home, had so much fun a new HGTV making the series, feaseries. We hope tures not only that the audience local residents has as much fun Brian and watching it,” said Mika Brian. “It was a Kleinschmidt, ton of hard work, but the Tampa Bay area as well. The Local residents Mika and Brian series pilot Kleinschmidt are excited that aired in April HGTV has picked up their 2019. HGTV series, 100 Day Dream Home. The series will premiere on has now picked it up for Sunday, February 16 and will air at 10 p.m. a series, which will premiere on Sunday, February but every day we made sure we were 16 at 10 p.m. This is a dream come true enjoying every step of the process. The for the Kleinschmidts. “We received the Tampa Bay has always supported every long-anticipated call from HGTV about crazy dream we have gone after, and this the show being picked up while we were is no different,” added Brian. driving. We both screamed,” said Brian. The show, in addition to featuring “Everything we had worked/prayed for so Tampa Bay, supports and highlights local hard was finally paying off and coming businesses. Brian said, “We are highlighttrue. We are beyond blessed and excited ing all of the talented builders, subconfor this new chapter in our lives,” added tractors, artists and designers in each and Brian. 100 Day Dream Home will run for every episode. We are so excited to show nine weeks. It will feature nine homes the world how much talent Tampa Bay located throughout the area, including truly has to offer.” Ruskin, Apollo Beach, Riverview, Plant HGTV is a top-10 network and has City, downtown Tampa and St. more than 37 million viewers each month. Petersburg. Brian said, “We cannot wait to show off our beautiful area and all that it has to offer.” The Kleinschmidts are custom home designers. The husband and wife team work with clients to create their perfect home by taking them on tours of various properties. They select their dream exterior, interior, furnishings and finishes. They See ad on page 27 create, build and complete a personalized home for each family in 100 days. CAR CARE FOR TEENS ........................PG 3 Potential home buyers for the show SPANO VISITS BAY LIFE ....................PG 11 are selected through a casting process through the Kleinschmidts’ production THE BIGGEST LOSER.........................PG 14 company as well as HGTV. Brian HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL ...........PG 15 explained, “Those who are selected are real clients who are actually buying, EYE ON BUSINESS .....................PGS 25‐26 designing, building and moving into their CHALKLINES .....................................PG 30 dream home.”
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The TV Series 100 Day Dream Home Is A Dream Come True For Brian And Mika Kleinschmidt
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Don’t miss this year’s 2020 Strawberry Festival. With the promise of ‘Perfect Vision,’ everyone in attendance will see plenty of familyfriendly entertainment, including fair food delights, concerts, rides, stage shows, animal shows, attractions and exhibits. The festival will take place for 11 days starting on Thursday, February 27 and will run through Sunday, March 8. This 85th season continues to show the fabric of American life woven into the festival through its social events, contests, youth programs, top-name entertainment and parades with glorious floats and marching bands. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. daily. Midway times vary. General admission is $10 for ages 13 and up. Children 5 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Children 6 to 12 require a youth ticket purchase of $5. Discount tickets are available at Publix now through March 8. More than 2,500 local volunteers help annually, as 500,000 plus visitors attend the Strawberry Festival. Many won’t leave until they’ve enjoyed its signature strawberry shortcake. It’s a tradi-
By Michelle Colesanti
P O S I T I V E
See Ad On Page 22
Your Hometown Meeting Place for Great Food, Service, Sports & Entertainment!
DUELING PIANOS
1st Saturday of every month 8 - 11 p.m. www.JFKicksRestaurant.com
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Exceptional Entertainment for the whole family!
The Village Players will present Neil Simon’s classic Barefoot in the Park in February. The Village Players perform their shows at the historic James McCabe Theater, located at 506 N. 5th St. in Valrico.You can get tickets by visiting www.thevillageplayersvalrico.com. For more information, please call 480-3147. See article on page 32 in the Arts & Entertainment feature.